TRUST THE PROCESS II: THE REVELATION

Genesis 37: 3-11 (TPT)

3Now Israel’s love for Joseph surpassed that for his other sons because he was born to him in his old age.  So Israel had made him a richly ornamented robe.  4When Joseph’s brothers saw that their father loved him more than he loved them, they hated him and would not speak a kind word to him. 

5One night Joseph had a dream, and when he shared it with his brothers, they hated him even more! 6“Listen to this dream I had,” he told them. 7“There we were, binding sheaves of grain in the field. Suddenly, my sheaf rose up and stood upright. Then your sheaves gathered around mine and bowed down to mine!” 8His brothers asked him, “Oh, so you think you’re going to be our king? Do you actually think you’re destined to rule over us?” So, the dream that he told them about made them hate him even more.

9Then another night he had a dream, and he shared it with his brothers,  saying, “Listen, I had another dream. This time, the sun and moon and eleven stars were bowing down to me.”  10When his father and brothers heard it, his father scolded him, “What kind of dream is that? Do you really think that I, and your mother, and your brothers are going to come and bow to the ground before you?” 11So his brothers grew more jealous of him, but his father kept pondering Joseph’s dream. 

Good day, beloved teen, and welcome to another beautiful day. It's been a while, because I had to focus on other stuff, but thank God I'm here. 

Remember our last convo on purpose? Joseph being honest, obedient and faithful in all his ways. He hadn't yet discovered what God wanted him to be and do, for the rest of his life. This is a continuation of that story.  Joseph was still consistent in fulfilling his duties and being a great kid. In the midst of that, purpose found him. 

He had two dreams. In the first, there were twelve sheaves, and those of his brothers bowed down to his. In the second dream, the sun, moon and eleven stars bowed to him. Let's not forget that by this time, his brothers had hated him for his good-boy attitude, his father's love, and the coat of many colors the father gifted him. By the time Joseph told them these dreams, the hatred became worse. Even his father questioned the second dream. Hearing his son say he would bow as a father, to his son, wasn't easy to accept. However, he wasn't jealous. Just confused.

There are a few lessons I want us to learn from the story we just read. First, Joseph didn't get the revelations because he was hated. God doesn't play the victim game. God isn't Hollywood. Joseph was not selected to be great because God pitied Him. Joseph had the right heart posture for what God wanted to do in the family, and for the nation. What does this teach you? For every God-given assignment, there is a heart posture God is looking for. It might not make sense to the people around you, but God is the one who qualifies those He uses. 

Secondly, Joseph telling his brothers about his dreams looked like a suicide mission. These guys have never hidden how they felt about you. They don't say kind words to you. Why would you take such a revelation to them? One that put them in a position of hating you so much more? After telling them the first dream, their reaction wasn't pleasant. He still went ahead to tell them the second one. What different reaction was he expecting? I'm sure these questions have run through your mind once or twice, after reading this passage. But I want us to remember that Joseph was young and innocent. Titus 1:15 says, "to the pure, all things are pure......". Joseph was a pure and soul. He was just being himself. This is not an excuse not to employ wisdom in divulging sensitive information. You shouldn't talk anyhow, especially around people that have shown you constantly that they don't value you or what you represent.

Reading scriptures further, we would discover that his innocence towards his brothers worked in his favor. God's ways are not ours. He doesn't think or react or analyze like us. He is God and all-knowing. What looks like foolishness, becomes wisdom in His hands. You see why you need to depend on Him for every area of your life? Even what looks like foolishness and naivety, can become profound wisdom in His hands.

Thirdly, Joseph was a favored child, and that attracted hatred. Favor is not fair normally, so its side attractions are not necessarily fair. The hatred he attracted from his brothers, came as a result of him doing the right thing. His brothers saw him do the right thing and get rewarded for it. Instead of them to emulate his good works, so they can get rewards, they chose hatred. The human mind is beyond comprehension, really.

What does this teach us? Doing the right thing doesn't always come with rewards the way we expect. Sometimes we end up being humiliated, lied on, isolated, betrayed and even punished. Doing the right thing could be hard or painful. This is when we get to remind ourselves that we were not called to a fellowship of instant rewards. We were called to a life of total dependence and obedience. Even when the rewards are nowhere in sight, our obedience should never be conditional, reward-based or transactional.

Another thing about the brothers; they could have gone to inquire from God, about their own destinies. If Joseph, their younger brother, could get such deep insights, that means the presence of God was in their midst.

 When people share revelations with us, most times, it is ideal that we seek God for ourselves, on the matter, and everything else. But this was not the case of Joseph's brothers. They chose animosity towards their younger brother. A part of me is tempted to conclude that they knew the revelations were true. One thing I need every teenager to understand, is that, people who hate on you, do it mostly because they see what you cannot see, about yourself.

They brothers didn't laugh at him or mock him for his dreams. They got angry instead. Because they knew Joseph didn't lie, and there was every possibility that it would happen. What does this also tell you? Sometimes people hate on you because you are a reflection of  what they think they could never be. So the next time someone tries to talk down at you, or make you feel small, don't be quick to feel bad. They could be seeing something about you, that you are yet to see. 

Joseph's conversations around the dreams didn't sound boastful or condescending, but his brothers knew they were not ordinary dreams. They had some level of understanding of how God worked. They knew those dreams stood a high chance of becoming a reality. Instead of also inquiring from God about theirs, they chose to be hateful and envious. Never let the heart posture of envy and jealousy rob you of the chance to receive your miracle. Celebrate with others and grab yours. God is in the neighborhood.

In our next conversation, we will discuss what became of Joseph after his dreams. Revelation changes your life forever. Joseph was never going to be the same again.

I hope you are available for the next conversation. I also hoped you learnt something tangible. Till we meet again. Stay prayed up and obedient. I love you

Pictures courtesy of pexels.com

 TRUST THE PROCESS

GENESIS 37 (TPT)

The Story of Joseph

1-2This is the story of the family of Jacob, who had settled in the land of Canaan, where his father Isaac had lived as an immigrant. 

Jacob’s son Joseph was seventeen, and he served his older half brothers, the sons of his father’s wives Bilhah and Zilpah, helping them watch over the flocks. One day Joseph went to his father with a bad report about their behavior. 

3Now Israel’s love for Joseph surpassed that for his other sons because he was born to him in his old age.

Familiar story, I assume. Hello my precious faves, how are you doing? It's really been a while, and a lot has happened, but you never left my thoughts and prayers. This year is still a great year, no matter what. The joy of the Lord will always be our strength.

Today, we are discussing the process of making. For those of you familiar with my other blog, "LEEZIE'S SNUG ROOM", we discussed the challenges of puberty and adolescence. One of those challenges is finding purpose. A lot of questions flood every teenager's heart at every step; Who am I? What am I here for? What am I supposed to be doing now? Asking these questions and being confused at this stage are normal, because adolescence is the rehearsal for adulthood. 

Joseph was a seventeen year old, in a very large household. He lived with his mother,  stepmother, eleven brothers, one sister, two house helps who were also baby-mamas. Very complicated background, if you ask me. He was the second to the last son, and I'm sure, on some levels, his achievements could have been insignificant at that stage. But it is very significant to us today. 

As a teenager, he might not have figured out God's divine assignment for him, but Joseph learned to do what was expected of him as a child in a Jewish household, and also as a child of God. He knew quite early, that even though he didn't have a picture of what the rest of his life would look like, a life of service and integrity were non-negotiable. He served his parents consistently, and was upright in all his dealings. The Bible records that he used to report the wrongdoings of his brothers to his father. A clear conscience was his priority.

This brings us to the conversation on purpose. There are two levels of purpose; the general and specific. General purpose is the realm that links all believers into one big family. Here, we have same purpose and passion, same foundation, and same direction. This can be found in Ecclesiastes 12 vs 13(GNB), "After all this, there is only one thing to say: Have reverence for God, and obey his commands, because this is all that we were created for."  This means we are all called to a life of reverence and obedience, total service and dependence on God. This is what helps us maintain a unified identity as God's children. At this stage, whatever you end up doing with the rest of your life, you still have a foundation rooted in reverence and obedience to God. This was the code Joseph cracked that charted the course for the rest of his life.

So, while you ask your valid questions about the now and the future, make sure you have your general purpose locked in. It was from the realm of general purpose that Joseph soared. As we read on, we discover that the rest of Joseph's life still depended on his decisions as a teenager, to be a person of integrity and service. This brings me to the question; the choices and principles you live by, can they sustain your specific purpose? I need you to understand that, the person you are, is the same person you will bring to the office, family, ministry, business and politics. I ask again; can your choices and principles sustain your specific purpose? That's a question ever teenager will have to answer.

So while you wait on God to give you the full picture of where He is taking you to, live each day in total submission and dependence on Him. He knows exactly what He is doing, and His plan is always better and bigger. Remember the potter working on the clay in the picture above? All the clay ever needs to do is to be clay; be flexible. Take the shape the potter is asking of you. The finished product will justify the whole process. Just be clay.

In our next edition, we will talk about specific purpose still with Joseph as a case study. Until then, just be clay. God's got you 🤗🤗🤗 

Photo credit: Pexels.com

JAR OF OIL SEASONS.... REAL STORIES, REAL PEOPLE

 REAL STORIES..... REAL PEOPLE

        Hello dearest, how have you been? It's been a while. I believe you're good. So we will continue from where we stopped. The last time we spoke about little drops of water that make a mighty ocean. In this context, we call them "our jar of oil" seasons. So I got a beautiful couple to share their personal stories on how they were able to make something out of what they considered nothing or too little. This couple, are my pastors: Rev and Pastor Lilian Ochemba👼👼💓💖💗.

Let's do ladies first😁.

               PASTOR LILIAN

   

 What I had, but didn't realize I had, was, (shall we say?) relationships  or gift of men. I had always wanted to start an NGO. I had always wanted to reach out to others, make a difference in people's lives, and help them get well. My husband would often say, "why don't you start?" And I will tell him I don't have the funds to begin.. I need funds to purchase the items these people require. I need resources to  plan, logistics and everything else. 

    As a result, I would constantly inform them that I lacked the resources. And then I didn't want to do it any longer. I wanted to execute it in such a way that when I go on my outreaches, these individuals would be aware. That meant I'd have to think and plan large.

    I've been making this same justification for years. But one day, I just decided to start. I attended an event, and the things mentioned really got me motivated. So I told myself I would start regardless. 

    When I started, I tried to reach out to a specific community but they wouldn't even give me attention. This was because they were looking for food🍛 or any other items, and I didn't have any at my disposal.  So I needed to re-strategize, which meant getting food items, clothing, and other things that would really draw their attention. 

        Then my husband suggested I did a video telling people what I was doing. So I made a video and people helped me share. And before you know it, people started sending me messages; "I have bag of clothes. I will bring it". "I have food, I will bring it." "I will support you with so and so". People sent money💰.

    And the funny thing is that, I didn't even have a registered NGO so it was my personal business account they were sending it to. And at the end of the day, the outreach was successful and we shared more than enough things.

    Now I've done a second outreach without having the "money" I was looking for, but by the help of men, by the gift of men and relationships around me. Initially I believed no good could come from relationships. But God taught me  that even men are gifts from Him and He can choose to give them to us to help sort out our personal needs if only we can trust Him.

    So that's pretty much it. I had the gift of men but I didn't know the value of people around me. I didn't know people could be of help to me so I was thinking I was all by myself and I was going to figure it all by myself.  I was going to look for how to make it work myself but God opened my eyes to the fact that relationships are also key.

    A day to the outreach, I was telling my husband that it is only someone that has gone through this path that will sincerely understand when you say you don't need money to carry out most of these projects🚧. I always thought I needed plenty money to start in a big way, but God blew my mind by the gifts of people around me.

    Nice story indeed, and very inspiring. But what's a Rev's wife story without mentioning her husband ten times?😆😆😆   

    REV CHIMA 

    My life amplifies a lot of "jar of oil" moments; moments when I felt inadequate. Moments when I felt unable. Moments when I felt like the "five loaves of bread" scenario against the "five thousand". There are several moments like that in my life but let me talk about my fashion business.

    In 2004, my family was in a situation where my dad hadn't gotten big contracts for a while and I had to go back to school. He made sure he got all our school books and our fees paid. 

     I remember on of those cases, I was given pocket money, part of which was my transport fare from Warri to FUTO. "Pastor Chi" was coming back😅so I had to buy two loaves of bread🍞 and banana🍌, and by the time I got to school, it was almost gone. I just had to manage myself through that season, through that time. 

    On a certain day I got a call from one of my uncles and he said, "hey, what's happening with you at school? Are you alright? What's the matter? I hope everything is okay." So I told him the usual, "I wish I had more funds, but we are fine". So he sent me #5000 on MoneyGram. Back then, account numbers and transfers were not as fluid as they are these days.  I remember borrowing #100 from my neighbor to go to the bank in town (Standard Trust) then. By 9am I was in the bank and I didn't leave there till past 5😃. It was a long, hungry and hopeful day. I remember when they gave me the money a few minutes past 5, I had to go to a nearby restaurant and I sorted myself with a loaded wrap of fufu😋. 

    So I came back to the hostel that day with my #5K as a big boy. I paid back my friend his #100. I knew that I needed something to help sustain myself even though it wasn't anything big, but I didn't know what it was. I couldn't do anything unethical because I had a very strong believers' background⛪. My parents did a fantastic job on that for which I'm eternally grateful. I knew there was something more for me to do  but I didn't know exactly what it was. And like I said earlier, I didn't want to do anything that was ungodly. I didn't want to be in that association that seemed as though they could meet my physical needs. My faith☩ was more important than anything else.

    I spoke to a friend of mine who lived in Aba about making a shirt from my #5K. Back then, to make shirts (both fabric and sewing), was #600 or so, depending on the quality of the fabric. But with a good fabric, you could get for #600. So I got my friend to help me get to Aba🚌. I remember him giving me descriptions and thereafter following me. I made two shirts and wore one. No business in mind. I just needed shirts to add to my wardrobe since I hadn't had anything new for a while.

    I went back to school and wore one of them to class. A friend and classmate of mine looked at me and said, "wow, nice shirt man." I didn't know where it came from but I said, "well, they are for sale oh😁". I can remember selling those shirts for #1400. In fact I sold the one I wore that day and came home with a white round neck tee-shirt. In other words, I already had that business grit within me that I hadn't maximized. So I said to myself, "wow, that's some good stuff😎". 

    I went back to Aba, made three shirts this time, wore one, sold the other two. I made one and sent to my friend in Benin and when he wore it to class, he started marketing the shirt there as well. From there, it just kept getting better and better. I remember when I got my first call to make 120 shirts and I was like, "are you serious? Is this even possible?" Then from shirts👕, I started making trousers, to waist coats, to suits🕴 and then to choir robes. Before you know, the full fashion and costume business became a stay for me.

     From 2004 up till today, I still have that business running. I got married on that business. I was doing a lot of work and making some money from there. What's the lesson from this? I could have blown that #5000 but that #5K became my five loaves and two fishes. I brought it before the LORD and He blessed it, and here I am today. That is how most of my increase has come; from fashion. The same way also, the little skill of graphics design, when I took it seriously, got me my job at an International organization. From doing graphics for social media, to designing graphics internationally. So you see the evolution from my little?

    What is my message? Young man, young lady, do not take for granted what you have. Do not take for granted what you know. Do not take for granted what is available for you. God never leaves us without our cruise of oil. God never leaves us without our five loaves and two fishes. There is always something small that He gives us, but in that small lies great potential. That's my story. Hope it helped you😇😇😇.

        So these are real stories, by real people, giving us their own version of their "jar of oil" seasons.  The question still remains; what do you have? Jesus asked that question. Elisha asked the same question. I ask again, what do you have?

    Thanks for your time. Stay blessed and established. Love you aplenty💖💖💖